Tag: Art 2016

A Woman in Red and Furillen Yours in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
DixMix Gallery: Woman In Red
DiXmiX Gallery: Woman In Red

Now open at DiXmiX Gallery are two new exhibitions, Woman In Red and Furillen Yours, which opened on Friday, October 14th and Sunday, October 16th, respectively.

Woman In Red is the larger of the two and occupies the White Galley within the complex. It features sixteen images by photographer Vallys Baxter. These all appear to be self-studies shot in a monochrome format, but each with a strong statement of red, be it a dress, leggings, a body harness, a full-face helmet, a hat, or other items of apparel.

DixMix Gallery: Woman In Red
DiXmiX Gallery: Woman In Red

“Red,” Vallys notes, “is my dark side.” With these images, I’d equate “dark” with “sensual / erotic” – both of which are evident in several of the images, while in a couple of them, the “dark” might be said to be literal. With nudity apparent in some of the images, this is a collection not best suited for work viewing, but the sensual power conveyed in most of them cannot be denied. This is particularly evident in pieces such as The Persuaders, Red is My Dark or  Keep Me Wild, which cast those viewing them into the role of voyeur, catching glimpses of what might be intimate moments between lovers. All told, an intriguing, graceful exhibit.

Furillen Yours occupies the entrance foyer to the gallery complex, and features the seven winning images from a recent photography competition jointly presented by DixMix Gallery and Serene Footman, and which focused on Serene’s region of Furillen (which I have written about here and here).  The pictures are by MollyWolliDoodle, NikaLee, Oyona, Hayel Bracula, Mrs S (LauraLar), Magic Maker, and Iolanda Weidman.

DixMix Gallery: Furillen Yours
DiXmiX Gallery: Furillen Yours

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Sunday, October 16th: Stories at the Park in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Holly Kai Park: Storyteller's tree and garden, surrounded by the art displays
Holly Kai Park: Storyteller’s tree and garden, surrounded by the art displays

Sunday, October 16th will see the third in the Stories at the Park series, jointly presented by Holly Kai Park and Seanchai Library – and I hope that you’ll pop along to the event, which starts at 15:00 SLT.

Stories at the Park coincides with the monthly Art at the Park exhibitions at Holly Kai Park. Each month, story writers and poets from Seanchai Library and beyond are invited to visit Holly Kai Park and view the 2D and 3D art on display, and then to write a short story (“drabble”) or  a poem about any of the pieces of art which inspire them, with the following criteria applied:

  • Stories must be  exactly 100 words in length
  • Poems can be UP TO 100 words, but no longer, and in any format  (blank verse, iambic pentameter, haiku, sonnet, whatever appeals).
Holly Kai Park: Art at the Park, October 2016
Holly Kai Park: Art at the Park, October 2016

Submitted stories are then read in the live voice session for each Stories at the Park event, which take place at the Storyteller’s Garden in the centre of the art display area. Authors can either read their own works or if they prefer, have one of the Seanchai Library staff read them. Submitted stories are also published on the Holly Kai Park blog.

For October, Caledonia Skytower, Trolley Trollop, and R. Crap Mariner will be on hand to read pieces inspired by our current artists at the park: Anibrm Jung, John Brianna, Giovanna Cerise, Wildstar Beaumont and Inara Pey.

So, why not join us for some superb stories and poetry from 15:00 SLT at Holly Kai Park? Just climb the steps by the lading point. And of course, you’re welcome to come early and explore the art and the park, or stay after and wander the paths and tracks of Holly Kai Park.

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Revisiting Invictus in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Invictus
Invictus

In August, I wrote at length about Invictus, the stunning full region interpretation of William Ernest Henley’s famous 1875 poem which was given that name in 1900, when it appeared in the The Oxford Book of English Verse.

The installation is a marvellous work of art, deeply reflective of the thoughts expressed within the poem, and of Storm’s own circumstance and the trials she has faced. If you haven’t visited the installation, I urge you to do so before in closes in December, and while it may sound somewhat self-serving, I also offer my thoughts on the installation as well.

I have been drawn back to Invictus a number of times since then, wanting to produce a video of it for posterity. But what form should such a video take? Should it feature music, or the words of the poem itself? And if the words, should they be spoken, or presented on-screen? And if spoken, who should I look to recite them?

At the end of August, and having been reminded by several people that Morgan Freeman recited the poem in the film Invictus (and has done so elsewhere, it being a personal favourite of his), I opted to turn to the marvellous talent of Charlie Hopkinson, who is Morgan Freeman’s voice. And so it is that I offer a short film of Storm’s installation I hope you enjoy, and which encourages you to visit or re-visit Invictus in-world.

 

 

Tone and ambience in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Lorin Tone
Lorin Tone

Lorin Tone is the name of a new aural installation, open through to the end of 2016, intended to to demonstrate the wide variety of uses in-world sounds can be put to within Second Life. The installation takes it name from the master of ambient sound, Lorin Tone, who shares the environment with Nance Clowes “and others” (one of whom I assume could be Lorin’s partner, Judi Newall).

For those who travel the grid extensively with local sound enabled, this might sound a “well, duh!”, kind of idea: many region designers spend a good deal of time adding a soundscape to their environment, so we’re accustomed to hearing them every day (although that in itself can cause us to “tune them out”).

Lorin Tone - Madcow Cosmos' whimsical sound creatures
Lorin Tone – Madcow Cosmos’ whimsical sound creatures

But sounds are also more than just ambient background; they can be used in a wide variety of ways to add atmosphere to an environment, both passively and actively, triggered or experienced in a wide variety of ways – touch, collision, proximity, and so on.

So it is that this installation offers a series of individual parcels (denoted by the stone paths running between them) in which various sound scape can be experienced. The layout might not be that visually appealing, but a slow exploration through it will reveal how aurally rich they are, and the cornucopia of sound options available for in-world use. There are things to touch, walk past and through; to step on, play, bounce across and ride.

Lorin Tone
Lorin Tone – hunated graveyard (set your environment to midnight 🙂 )

Signs throughout the installation offer an introduction to each area and when touched will furnish some additional information on what is being achieved (and how to use each area). There is a certain degree of fun to be had in exploring and colliding with or touching things, and it is hard not to end up smiling. The bouncy (sand) castles got things off to a good start for Caitlyn and I (take the rope slide to the right of the landing point as you face them), while a skyborne race track offers something for petrol heads.

But – there is sadly a “but”, albeit a small one. The soundscapes largely stand as parcels without visual theme, and some might be seen as slightly repetitive in form. While this is intended to be an aural environment, I couldn’t help but feel more might have been gained by making it more visually immersive as well.

Lorin Tone
Lorin Tone

That said, for anyone interested in the depth and range to which in-world sounds can be put to good effect, the installation is well worth a visit. As noted, it will be open through until the end of December 2016.

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All UWA regions to remain in Second Life through mid-2017

Posted on by Inara Pey
UWA: Winthrop Clocktower and the Reflection Pond, with the SLeducate area on the right, which you can read about here
University of WA: Winthrop Clocktower and the Reflecting Pond

On September 13th, I relayed the news that the University of Western Australia would be scaling back its presence in Second Life to just one region; with three others being retired and the fourth to be transferred to the San Jose State University. Well, things have now changed for the better.

In a blog post issued on Monday, October 10th, the day after two of the regions had been scheduled to close, FreeWee Ling gave the news that all three originally slated to vanish from Second Life will now remain in place through until July 2017, while UWA Virtlantis has now changed hands as originally planned.

UWA campus
UWA campus

This means that through until July 2017, the regions will comprise:

  • University of WA: the “main” region, this is home to the iconic Winthrop Hall clock tower, Sunken Gardens, and Somerville Theatre facilities, as well as the new starter resource facility, and is set to remain in place for at least another year
  • UWA: home to the UWA gallery, which is currently hosting the IMMATERIAL exhibition, now set to remain in place until July 2017
  • UWA Winthrop: home to the UWA’s permanent exhibition of art from past winners and selected pieces from previous 3D art challenges are displayed, now set to remain in place until July 2017
  • WASP Land: the technical region, and home to the St Basil’s Cathedral model, fractal works, etc, now set to remain in place until July 2017
  • SJSU Virlantis: is now under the management of Sonicity Fitzroy (aka Dr Phylis Johnson) of the San Jose State University. It remains attached to the UWA regions, but has a revised name/ SLurl.

Following the original announcement of the three region closure, Second Life artists and residents wrote to UWA Central concerning the plans, and this may have contributed to the decision to extend a lease of life to those three regions. Either way, that they have been granted an extended lease of life to remain an active part of Second Life is most welcome.

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Note; at the time of writing this article, WASP Land and UWA Winthrop were off-line, having been scheduled to close on October 9th, 2016. Given Jayjay’s announcement, they will hopefully be back on-line very shortly.

The Mask Collection in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Mask Collection
The Dirty Grind: The Mask Collection

Now open at The Dirty Grind is an exhibition by John Brianna (Johnannes1977 Resident) entitled The Mask Collection. While it may at first seem to be a modest collection of nine images, it is  nevertheless a nuanced, eye-catching display, mixing the physical and the virtual which challenges us to consider what may or may not lie behind the mask we may wear at any given time.

The images, seven of which can be found within the main room at Dirty Grind Theatre and the remaining two in the foyer area, feature studies of both avatars and people wearing a variety of masquerade and other masks. All have been marvellous finished is style suggesting they are either either painted or drawn, and such is the skill with which this has been achieved, I leave it to you to decide for yourselves which are taken from Second Life and which from the physical world.

The Mask Collection
The Dirty Grind: The Mask Collection

“I wanted a collection that fits the theme of the Dirty Grind,” John told me as we discussed the display. “And to reflect the idea that we can wear masks in Second Life which can both conceal and reveal.”

The idea that we all wear masks, whether in the virtual realm or the physical, is an old one, subject to many debates and discussions on the nature of self, identity and how we project ourselves in different circumstances. Within Second Life, such debates can often become far more philosophical, simply because we have a much greater freedom to project an appearance through an avatar, or to play a role within an environment  without revealing much of ourselves beyond that role. Or equally, through the very act of “concealing” ourselves within an avatar /role, we can gain the security which allows us to project far more of our personality and nature among strangers and acquaintances than we would were we in the physical world.

The Mask Collection
The Dirty Grind: The Mask Collection

It’s an engrossing subject, but truth to tell, even without being drawn into such philosophical ruminations, this is a superb exhibition which should be seen to be appreciated. The images – as noted above, and which are offered for sale at L$400 each – are exquisitely produced; each one has a unique look and style, coupled with a very individual use of texture and colour, which makes it instantly captivating, drawing the visitor into it.

The Mask Collection will remain at The Dirty Grind through until the end of September 2016 – not to be missed.

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